"Clang—"
Seeing Chen Jiuyang draw his saber, the people from the Heavenly King Alliance exchanged glances, initially letting out light laughter. Chen Jiuyang's foundation was well-known to all; he had created his own martial path but lacked divine intent. Currently, he was merely someone with Earth Realm cultivation but only Profound Realm combat strength.
The death of Xi Butui was due to Chen Jiuyang's unexpected actions, but now, if Chen Jiuyang wanted to attack them, a few of them could kite him to death, or at the very least, repel him and ruin his reputation.
However, seeing Chen Jiuyang's serious expression, a hint of killing intent in his brows, the smiles on the faces of the Heavenly King Alliance members gradually faded.
Lu Shan Hai asked, "Marquis Xuanyang, are you here to discuss martial arts with us, or something else?"
Chen Jiuyang held the Yan Sheng Saber, gently stroking its blade with one hand. His voice was calm, his gaze icy, "You know I am the Marquis Xuanyang enfeoffed by the Dragon Country. So, guess whether I drew my saber against you to discuss martial arts or for something else."
Lu Shan Hai's expression turned grim, "Marquis Xuanyang, we came with good intentions to meet you and give you a boost. Are you truly as the demonic cultivators say, inherently bloodthirsty?"
After Chen Jiuyang's revival, his deeds in Suzhou and Hangzhou, along with the demonic cultivators' evaluations, had spread.
Chen Jiuyang's expression remained calm. He took out several pieces of paper from his怀 and read softly, "Ye Hongbo, seven years ago, murdered a family of four civilians in Ziyang County."
"Bian Yingzhe, eight years ago, went berserk due to cultivation deviation, abducting and raping three women."
"Are these proofs false?"
Lu Shan Hai and the others' faces changed.
"Previously, Xi Butui was stationed in Feng Province, acting with impunity while the Six Doors remained silent."
"But this is the Dragon Country. The net of justice is vast and its meshes are fine; though righteous retribution may be delayed, it will not be absent."
"As Marquis Xuanyang, I shall slay you dogs and pigs!"
As Chen Jiuyang's voice fell, his true qi surged, killing intent erupted, and the Yan Sheng Saber in his hand flashed with cold light.
Lu Shan Hai, Ye Hongbo, Bian Yingzhe, and the others felt their hair stand on end. Ye Hongbo coldly said:
"Surround and kill him!"
Before they could even form their formation, Chen Jiuyang, holding the Yan Sheng Saber, had already rushed before Ye Hongbo, his long saber descending.
Chen Jiuyang moved, his vital energy like a vast ocean, a volcanic eruption. Ferocious true qi and terrifying force were unleashed.
"Clang!"
Ye Hongbo immediately channeled his true qi into a protective aura. But how could it withstand the Yan Sheng Saber? In an instant, the aura was shattered. Ye Hongbo's face changed drastically, and he quickly drew his own long sword to resist the saber's might.
The saber and sword met with a piercing metallic clang. Moments later, Ye Hongbo's long sword was cleaved in two by the Yan Sheng Saber. However, the subsequent force of Chen Jiuyang's saber was not yet exhausted. After being resisted by the sword for a moment, it struck Ye Hongbo's body.
"You wicked dogs and pigs who commit evil deeds deserve to die."
Chen Jiuyang's icy voice rang out. Ye Hongbo's head was severed by Chen Jiuyang's saber, and blood gushed from his neck.
"How is this possible!" Lu Shan Hai and Bian Yingzhe's faces were filled with shock.
Chen Jiuyang's saber strike did not utilize any Profound Realm true qi techniques or divine intent. Relying solely on his vital energy and strength, he had brutally killed Ye Hongbo, leaving them astonished.
After killing Ye Hongbo, Chen Jiuyang flipped the Yan Sheng Saber in his hand, pointing the tip towards Bian Yingzhe. With just this gesture, waves of air rolled, rustling people's clothes.
"Such profound foundation..." The Chen family patriarch, watching this scene from afar, felt his eyelids twitch.
Chen Jiuyang's brows were filled with rampant killing intent, and the Yan Sheng Saber in his hand lunged towards Bian Yingzhe.
Bian Yingzhe, terrified, quickly unleashed his divine intent technique against Chen Jiuyang, shouting, "Chen Jiuyang, you dare lay hands on my Heavenly King Alliance members, aren't you afraid of retaliation?"
"Rumble!"
Chen Jiuyang's saber shattered his divine intent technique. With another saber strike, it unleashed terrifying air currents, flashing brightly towards Bian Yingzhe.
"Chh—"
Bian Yingzhe's head, his eyes wide with rage, fell to the ground.
"Pfft—"
Blood spurted.
Chen Jiuyang calmly and indifferently stated, "Retaliation? What of it, if these specters and monsters come one by one, I'll kill them all?"
Chen Jiuyang looked at Lu Shan Hai, his eyes indifferent, "You have not committed capital offenses, but do you wish to avenge these two and attack me?"
Lu Shan Hai and the others drew their swords, their nerves on edge. Under Chen Jiuyang's gaze, their scalps tingled. Lu Shan Hai truly couldn't fathom Chen Jiuyang's temperament and could only brace himself and say, "We dare not."
"Hoo."
Chen Jiuyang exhaled a breath of turbid air. He closed his eyes, feeling the life essence flowing into his body from the tip of the Yan Sheng Saber. Then, he opened his eyes again, his aura suddenly changing. The killing intent vanished, and the terrifying momentum like a volcanic eruption completely disappeared.
Chen Jiuyang said faintly, "I am Marquis Xuanyang. It is my duty to slay the dogs and pigs who harm ordinary people."
A hint of pleasure and a sense of ease appeared on his face. His movements were now more smooth and natural.
Lu Shan Hai's eyelids twitched violently, "Marquis Xuanyang, was your move just now a martial dao enlightenment, a realization of unity between knowing and doing?"
Chen Jiuyang replied, "Did I not say before I made my move that I wanted you to verify the path of impossibility in my heart?"
"Since you've seen through it, then I'll tell you. My martial path is to follow my heart, protect the laws within my heart, and decide the life and death of others."
"What a domineering path!" Lu Shan Hai and the remaining Heavenly King Alliance martial artists felt their scalps go numb, filled with immense apprehension towards Chen Jiuyang.
In simple terms, Chen Jiuyang's martial path meant that if he saw someone committing a crime and felt they deserved to die, he would act to make them die.
It was akin to the ancient emperors' decree: "Those who obey me prosper, those who defy me perish."
Chen Jiuyang was now a Grandmaster of the Earth Realm, but without divine intent. Following his martial path, killing one person would grant him a sliver of enlightenment and a sense of grounding. How many people would he have to kill to condense his divine soul and true intent?
Lu Shan Hai said, "As expected of Marquis Xuanyang, your magnanimity puts us to shame. But there are so many criminals in the world, how can you possibly kill them all?"
"That is true, and it holds some reason," Chen Jiuyang nodded slowly, sharing his realization, "A person's talent and time are ultimately limited. But I only kill those I see before me, those within my reach, governing the three inches of the human world within my heart."
Lu Shan Hai stated, "Marquis Xuanyang, this action will offend many people."
"And so what?"
"If I am not myself, and cannot do as my heart desires, then what is the difference between living and being a dog?"
"Hiss." Lu Shan Hai gasped, realizing that Chen Jiuyang's martial dao path had been firmly established and could not be shaken in the slightest.
Hearing Chen Jiuyang's words, the Chen family patriarch also gasped. He had just asked Chen Jiuyang about his martial path, and now he saw it, which made his heart pound uncontrollably.
He felt his blood pressure rising and couldn't stop it. He had originally intended to tell Chen Jiuyang to lie low for a couple of days, but now...
The Chen family patriarch's forehead veins were throbbing.